Running-gear for vehicles.



.characters of reference thereon.

UNITED STATES 1p-@ENT runnen.

DAVID HALL MASTERS, 0F CLIFF. TERRITORY OF NEW MEXICO4 ASSIGNOR- OF ONE- HAL'E T0 ARTHUR L. CLARK. OF CLIF, TERRITORY 0F NEVI' MEXICOA RUNNING-GEAR FOR VEHICLES.

To all whoni -it may concern.'

Be it known that l. DAVID Il. Masrutas, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of (,`litl`, in the county of Grant and 'lerritory of New A\lcxico. have invented a new and Improved llunni11'; r-Ge1xr for Vehicles, of which the following is a full, clear, and exactdescription.

The purpose of my invention is to provide novel details of construction for the running gears of a vehicle, and more particularly for an automobile, which adapt said gears: to reliably coi'iperate, for swinging the ends of both axles simultaiwously an equal degree, toward each other at one side of the vehicle, and eorrcspouding!) diverging their opposite ends at the other sigle thereof` whereby full control of the turning movement' of the vehicle toward either side thereof is insured, and danger due to loes of control is avoided.

.The invention consists in the novel construction and combination of parts, as is hereinafter described, and detined in the appended claims.

Reference is to be had tothe dra win;r that forms a part of this specification. and to the the view shown being a reversed plan of an automobile body, and a partly sectional plan view of the improved running gears mounted thereon.

The chassis or body 10 of the vehicle. is

. of the usual forni having *greater length than width, and parallel sides thereon, the framing ofd the, bottom being concealed b v a wooden or other covering, whereon the ruunin gears are secured in proper relative positions as will now be described.

At a suitable distance from each end of the body 1t), two tubular holsters are secured, said holsters each consisting.r of two half sections ll, that are'znounted upon blocks 11, which have contact with and are secured to the bottom 10l of the body l0, said blocks being spaced apart so as to atl'ord a proper connection between the bolsters and bottom of the vehicle.

In each pair of alined tubular'bolsteis ll, u strong but tlexible axle body 12 i3 cen- )5T,075. Specification of Letters Patent.

Application led September 9, 1908.

of respective boxes, as shown in the. draw- Iatcnt'cd )lay il, 1910.

serial No. 452.222.

trally supported and rotatably secured by its loose engagement within perforated plugs or end walls fr that constitute hearings and that are inserted and .secured in the ends of the bolster sections. as shown for one pair thereof in the drawings.

The. ends of the tlcxihlc axles t2, are. extended outside of respective ends of the bolster .sections l1 and upon nach shank or end a prct'crabl) conitorm spindle lil, is mounted and secured. cach .spindlt` having an a.\ial socket l'ornn-d therein. which extends from lhc larger end tlu-rcol' aud is thus adapted t'or thc reception of a rc pcctivc shank cnd ot' an axle 1;. the axles :unl .spindles rotating*Ir togcthcr when actuated by means that will he described. The spindles lil are each designed to receive, a pneumatic tired or other .st vlc ot' .ehiclc wheel` and retain the .same in .secured cngagenn-nt therewith. said wheels being omitted from the drawings. as thtv arc not necessary for an illustration of the invention.

Centrally upon each tlcxible axle 1'2, a sprocket gear wheel 1-l is mounted and sccured, said wheels being respectively positioned hctwccn spaced adjacent ends ot' the pnilctl bolster Section5 ll.

Upon cach end portion ot' the vehicle bottom 1U, a motor l5, is secured. having a driving :draft c, whcrcon a sprocket pinten l5 is secured, in the same vertical plane with the gear 14, and said geur and pinion for each axle l2. are operatively connected with each other by a sproelot chain 15:, and it is to bc understood that cach axle 2, by its geared connection with a respective ntotor. receives rotarv motion there-trom in the .same direction, either to propel the vehicle forward or rearward.

Upon the bottom wall 10* of the vehicle. two guide rods lt', are mounted and spaced therefrom in parallel planes. by bracket blocks lo", that are secured upon the-bottom wall, and are clamped upon the guide rods at their ends.

j; "ross head 17. having tubular boxes 1'4" on its ends, is slidably mounted upon the guide rods by a loose engagement herewith '12 and spindles 13 thereon,

ings, whereby the cross head is adapted for a free sliding movement longitudinally of the guide rods in either direction.

A collar rl is loosely mounted but held from lateral displacement on each spindle 13, at the end nearestto the respective end of a bolster section 11, and upon each collar an car d is formed or secured, said ears in pairs projecting toward a respective guide rod 1G, when arranged for service. At each end of the cross head 1T, a joint leaf e is formed, that respectively project from the boxes 17.

Each leaf e is jointed as at e' upon the lapped ends of two similar link bars 18, that diverge toward opposite ends thereof, which are lapped and pivoted upon respective ears d', as indicated at (Z2 in the drawings.

It will be noted in the drawings, that when the cross head 17, is positioned at the transverse center of the bottom wall 10, the axles are disposed in parallel planes at right angles with a longitudinal center line of the vehicle body 10.

Between the guide rods 16, and near the sides of the vehicle body, two grooved pulleys g are respectively pivoted upon the bottom wall 10. Upon said bottom wall preferably near the forward end thereof, two groeved pulleys h similar to the pulleys g are pivotcd near opposite edges of said bottom wall 101. Oppositely upon the cross head 17, near its center, two metal loops z' project outwardly. 'At a convenient point, preferably intermediate the forward grooved pulleys h, a steering shaft m is rotatably supported, which extends below the bottom wall 10.

Upon the uppercnd of the shaft m, a

steering wheel n is mounted which is `shown in dotted lines in the drawings, and upon a portion o f said shaft. which extends below the bottom wall 10*x a grooved drum o is mounted :and secured. tlexile connection lft, is secured by one end to me of the loo s i and from said loop is extended outwarf into an engagement with the lgrooved pulley y at the left side of" =ic drawing. From said pulley, the ilexile connection It), is drawn forward, and st-.d around the forward pulley l. at the side of the drawing, thence the tlexible f-.:.ncction drawn transversely and passed round the grooved drum, and thence lo the I xt forward grooved pulley h, from which .said lcxihlc connection is drawn ir. taut condition rearward, and engaged with the grooved periphery of the pulley (j at the right side edge of the bottom 10 and thence passed through the remaining loop and thereto secured.

1t will be seen that when the. vehicle is reversed or turned right side up and mounted upon its wheels` if the hand wheel n is turned in one direction, Ysay toward the right side ol" the body 10. as is indicated l the curved arrow .la the pull on the flexible connection 1i). will be in the direction indicated by the straight. arrows .'1," .'c`'.

The. operation of the hand wheel as stated, will cause thc cross head 1T to more. in the. direction of the straight arrow r, or toward the left side of the vehicle. This adjustment 'of the cross head, will, spread apart the spindles 13, at the left side of the vehicle, and correspondingly draw the spindles at the other or right side thereof toward each other, which will cause the running gears to turn the vehicle toward the right side of the same.

lt. will be noted that as the length of the link hars 18 is equal, the rocking movement of the spindles 13. atv one side of the vehicle will be in a direction directly opposite, and equal in degree, so that the spindles on each axle are .aliued at any degree of inclination laterally that may be given thereto.

.\s the axles l2 are xneasurably flexible, it will he obvious that they will bend at their shanks sulliciently for a proper lateral roeking movement of -the spindles 13, their resilience serving to assist the return of the cross head to a normal central position on the raide rods when the hand wheel is released Ifrom hand pressure.

lt is claimed for this improvement that all parts are strong and durable, that the fears are extremely simple, that full control is allorded and contingencyr of accidents reduced, and that the cost of reduction and maintenance in repair are reduced to a lninimuu'.. l"urtlurmore, it will .be noted that the novel construction of parts gives the one who is running the automobile full control of the ruiming gears, which will enable the machine, to be run forward, backward or turned at either end toward either side as the circumstances may require.

llaving thus claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent:

1.. The combination with a vehicle body, of a flexible axle in bar form and sup ortinr the body, spindles on the ends op the ax e, and means engaging the axle for its rotation.

2. The combination with a vehicle body, of a. hollow' bolster on the bottoni of said body near cach end thereof, cach bolster being formed in half sections that are aliued with each other, a tlcxible axlc rotatable in cach bolster, said axle being in bar form and having` shank-ends projected therefrom, i'ndepcndent nic-ans for rotating each axlt-,spindles secured on said shauks and adapted by resilience of the axles to receive lateral roel(- dcscrihed my invention, l

i i t i in,gr movement. und menns for the maninnl l sections of the bolster, :t motor, :i Sprocket control of the movement of the Spindler'A l wheel on the driving' Shaft ofthe motor, :1nd 3. [n rnnniner gears for motor relneies, :t elmin connecting tht` .vziid geur wheel :1nd

the combination with :i hotly, of :i seetionnl pinion.

liol er seeni'ed to the underside of the bod)v In testimony whereof I have signed my with the inner ends of the set-tions {speer-d n nume to this `\vpeeie;ition in the. presence of :.hort diftzinee from euch other, :i rotatable two Subscribing witnesSeS.

llexible axle in lmr forni in the holster :1nd DVI) HALL MASTERS. having shank enflsyspindles secured to the Witnesses:

shank ends, :i sprocket gear wheel secured E. N. HALPIN,

on the nxle between the inner ends of the L. R. TANNER. 

